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Baseball card
A baseball card is a small card printed on heavy paper stock, featuring one or more baseball players. The typical format for a card is to have an image of a player on the front, with information such as statistics on the back. While baseball cards may be of any size, the standard size in the industry is 2-1/2 inches by 3-1/2 inches (on most cards, the image is oriented vertically so that 2-1/2 inches would be the width, and 3-1/2 inches the height).
Early History
With the development of photography, baseball teams began to pose for group and individual pictures, much like members of other clubs and associations. Some of these photographs were printed onto small cards similar to modern wallet photos. As baseball increased in popularity and became an openly professional sport during the late 1860s, a sporting goods store named Peck and Snyder began producing trade cards featuring baseball teams. Peck and Snyder sold baseball equipment, and the cards were a natural advertising vehicle. The Peck and Snyder cards are sometimes considered the first baseball cards.
Typically, a trade card featured an image on one side and information advertising the business on the other. Trade cards featuring baseball players were used by a variety of businesses, even if the products being advertised had no connection with baseball. Advances in color printing increased the possible appeal of the cards. As a result, different types of cards might use photographs, either in black-and-white or sepia, or color artwork, which might or might not be based on photographs.
Although the function of trade cards had much in common with business cards, the format of baseball trade cards also often resembled that of playing cards. Some early baseball cards could be used as part of a game, which might be either a conventional card game or a simulated baseball game. While most modern cards are purely collectibles, the concept of cards that allow for a game format still recurs periodically.
Tobacco Cards
Starting in about 1886, baseball cards were often included with cigarettes, partly for promotional purposes and partly because the card served to reinforce the packaging and protect the cigarettes from damage. In the baseball card hobby, these are generally referred to as tobacco cards. For a few years, many different tobacco companies produced baseball cards.
As the American Tobacco Company bought out other tobacco companies to develop a monopoly, the tobacco cards quickly disappeared. They were later reintroduced in the 1900s, as American Tobacco came under pressure from antitrust action and Turkish competition. The most famous, and most expensive, baseball card is a rare Honus Wagner card from this period. The card is from the T206 set, but exists in very limited quantities compared to others of its type because Wagner forced the card to be removed from printing. Although it is widely believed that Wagner did so because he refused to promote tobacco, the primary explanation lies in a dispute over compensation for Wagner, one of the star players of his day.
While tobacco cards were being reintroduced, candy manufacturers also began producing baseball cards. This reflects a shift toward a younger target audience for the cards. Baseball cards were among the first prizes to be included in Cracker Jack boxes. However, the economic effects of World War I soon suppressed baseball card production.
The Modern Sports Card Industry
After World War I, baseball cards gradually began to reappear with various candy products. Beginning in 1933, a chewing gum company named Goudey began producing cards, and gum became the product predominantly associated with baseball cards. Goudey produced larger sets of cards than usual, and numbered them to facilitate collecting. Goudey also released a new set annually for several years to coincide with the cycle of baseball seasons, until World War II curtailed baseball card production once again.
This time baseball cards were resurrected by Bowman, a former competitor of Goudey in the 1930s. However, another company that sold bubblegum, Topps, introduced the practice of signing baseball players to exclusive contracts to appear on its cards. After several years of competing over player contracts, Topps bought out Bowman and enjoyed a largely unchallenged monopoly for more than two decades.
The Topps monopoly ended in 1981, as Fleer and Donruss issued baseball card sets in that year. During the following years a number of other companies entered the market, saturating the hobby with cards until the 1994 players' strike caused a decline in interest and industry consolidation. In the meantime, the competition brought many innovations, such as improvements in card quality and measures to discourage counterfeiting. Companies also released multiple brands of cards, differentiating them to appeal to different types of collectors.
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Beckett.com Collectible cards. Includes product details, online ordering, message boards, and pricing guides. http://www.beckett.com/
Boca Cards Sets, unopened boxes, and uncut sheets. Mostly older material, boxes and sets from the mid 70s to the early 90s. http://www.bocacards.com/
Card Mall Collectibles dealers, contests, freebies and hobby information. http://www.cardmall.com/
Sporticus Graded and non-graded sports cards and certified authentic autographs from all major professional and NCAA Division 1A sports. http://www.sporticus.net
A.J. Sports Cards Online inventory includes PSA and SGC graded Hockey, Baseball, Basketball and Football cards. http://www.ajcards.com/
Dave's Dougout Inc. A sports card store located in the SF Bay Area, serving customers for over 11 years. http://www.davesdougout.com
CardHutch Sportscards, trading cards and sports collectibles. Cards sold in singles, graded singles, boxes and packs. Offers basketball, football, and hockey. http://www.cardhutch.com/
Dugout Sportscards Offers baseball, basketball, football and hockey cards. Salvino Bammers, Highland Mint Coins and Autograph Memorabilia. http://www.sportsdugout.com/
Action Coin and Card Canadian source for hockey sportscards, specializing in inserts and wantlists. http://www.actioncoin.com/
The Oddball Mall: Sports Cards Unusual sports cards of your favorite athletes, featuring over 15,000 different cards and collectibles of over 2,500 athletes. http://www.oddball-mall.com/
Georgetown Card Exchange For collectors of sports and non-sports trading cards and bean bag collectibles. http://www.gcxonline.com
mjcCards.com Offers sports trading cards. Search by sport or manufacturer. http://www.mjccards.com
The Show Cards & Memorabilia Sells sports cards purchased from weekly auctions. http://www.diamondsman.twoffice.com
The Baseball Card Shop Online Store Baseball, football, basketball, and hockey cards in packs, boxes, and singles. http://baseballcardshop.net
Dan's Sports Cards Offers basketball, football, and hockey cards for sale and trade. http://www.geocities.com/bokman33_99
Cramer Collectibles Sportscards and memorabilia. Rookies and star cards, sets, unopened material, packs, team sets, and PSA-graded cards. http://www.cramercollectibles.com/
Philly Sports Cards Specializes in cards from Philadelphia sports teams. http://www.geocities.com/phillysportscards
eBay: Sports Trading Cards Buy and sell sports trading cards. http://listings.ebay.com/lp/listings/list/all/category212/index.html?sspagename=lp212
Mike's SportsCard World Carries a wide selection of baseball, basketball, and football cards for sale. http://www.geocities.com/mikescards9/
Market Street Sports Cards A full service shop specializing in baseball, basketball, and football sports cards, Starting Lineup, and collectibles. http://members.aol.com/grassk
The Card Corner Sells trading cards commons, boxes, cases, and supplies for all sports. Also hosts auctions. http://www.thecardcorner.com/
Petty Cards & Comics Sells and trades Baseball, Football, Basketball, Racing, and Non-Sport cards. http://pages.prodigy.net/trishp
Hobby Collector Sports cards, non-sports cards, comics, Beanies and SLU. Trade and Sell http://www.freeyellow.com/members8/ozzie300/
Jerry's Sports Cards Stars, rookies, inserts, and commons. Buying and selling singles, boxes, sets, memorabilia, and accessories. http://pweb.netcom.com/~gpatch/sportscards.htm
Vintage Sports Investments Dealer of pre-1975 sportscards and an authorized PSA dealer for over 7 years. http://www.vintagesportsinv.com
Huntington Cards Regular and oddball cards, plus baseball, basketball, and football memorabilia. Also Star Wars cards and memorabilia. http://members.tripod.com/huntingtoncards/home.htm
Teamset Cards Sportcard teamsets for many sports. All cities and teams. http://members.tripod.com/bee_pollen/baseball_card_teamsets.html
Teamplayer USA Offers sports memorabilia and trading cards, PSA graded cards, as well as vintage tobacco cards and antique advertising collectibles. http://www.teamplayerusa.com/
Sports Cards Rock Buy, sell and trades all sportscards and memorabilia. Specializing in Topps. http://www.sportscardsrock.com/
M & M Cards Sports cards of rookies, PSA, vintage, refractors, autographed cards, and minor leaguers. http://home.sprynet.com/~cardfan/mmcards.htm
TradingCardWarehouse.com Value lists and sales catalog featuring baseball, football, basketball, and hockey trading cards, collectibles, and collecting supplies. http://www.tradingcardwarehouse.com
Dick & Jane's Sportcards Jacksonville Florida hobby dealer that sells sports cards nationwide. http://www.dickandjanessportscards.com
Old Rod Sports Cards Sports cards for baseball, football, basketball, hockey, racing as well as some non-sports cards. http://oldrodsportscards.com
Wagner's Sports Cards offers a football, baseball, basketball and golf cards. http://members.aol.com/twag2/cards.html
NFL Only Offers NFL football cards. http://www.geocities.com/nflonly/
Westbrook Sports Memorabilia and Trading Cards Offers baseball, basketball, football, and hockey trading cards and autographed sports memorabilia. http://www.westbrooksportscards.com
Jamal Cards Offers basketball, baseball and football cards. http://www.jamalcards.bizhosting.com
Higbees Enterprises Offers trading cards and supplies for baseball, football, hockey, basketball and golf. http://www.higbees.com
Jason's Cards Offers a selection of sport and non-sport trading cards. http://jasonscards.netfirms.com
The Sportstech Company Protect your sportscards with our unique Top Loader Album. Ideal for all standard 3x4 loaders. Perfect for replacing those hard to organize shoeboxes. http://www.CardAlbums.com
Dylan's Sports Cards, Inc. Sports cards and supplies for baseball, hockey, basketball and football. http://www.dylanscards.com
Baseline Sports Inc Full service distributor for trading cards, die cast collectibles, racing apparel, games and other collectibles. http://www.blsports.com
Bases Loaded A sportscard site offering a large selection of baseball, basketball, football, and hockey cards. http://www.bases-loaded.com/
Cardboard Gold Sports card holders and memorabilia displays. http://www.cardboardgold.com/
Grandslams and Touchdowns Sportscards and Starting Lineups http://members.aol.com/rockmsh/
Collectible Momentos New Zealand site that promotes cartophily (card collecting) and the buying, selling, and trading of other sports memorabilia besides baseball, hockey, basketball, and hockey. Source for Rugby and Cricket collectibles. http://www.tradingcards.co.nz
Star Galore The largest collection of Star Company basketball and baseball cards. http://www.stargalore.com
Bruce Harris Sportscards Sell sportscard boxes for all major sports. http://www.bruceharriscards.com
Darrell's Cards and Collectibles Sells a variety of sport and non-sport trading cards. http://dsvintage.zoovy.com
Dave & Adam's Card World Buys and sells a large selection of sports trading cards. http://www.dacardworld.com
Graded Card Central Offers a selection graded cards including Tiger Woods cards as well as ungraded cards in a variety of sports. http://gradedcardcenter.tripod.com/
Marty's PSA Graded Cards Offers rare and hard to find sports cards. Some PSA graded and in Mint condition. http://www.martyspsagradedcards.com/
Ballcard Blowouts Specializes in rookie and vintage sports cards. http://ballcard_blowouts.tripod.com/Home.html
Larry Fritsch Cards, Inc. Large selection of trading cards, including cards from the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and Negro leagues. http://www.fritschcards.com/
Charm City Basketball Cards Offers cards from all sports, not just basketball. http://www.charmcitycards.com/
Collectors Corner Carries sports and non sports cards from all the major brands. http://ecollectorscorner.com
FootballCardShop.com Offers football cards, team sets and graded cards. http://www.footballcardshop.com
Champions of American Sport Offers reprints of historical sports cards. http://www.championsofamericansport.com/
GameOnHockey.com Offers trading cards, memorabilia, books and supplies for hockey and other sports. http://www.gameonhockey.com/
SportsLand Cards Offers baseball, football, basketball and pokemon cards. http://sportsland.twoffice.com
Hockey4All.com Offers hockey trading cards. Searchable by player. http://www.hockey4all.com
The Cardgals Offers a variety of sports and non sports cards from the major card companies. http://www.thecardgals.com
Cardsnetwork.com Offers sports cards, hobby supplies and card collecting books and magazines. http://www.cardsnetwork.com
Goldstripe.com Provides a searchable database of trading cards. Also offers collectibles, comics, glassware and stamps. http://www.goldstripe.com
Rookie World Specializes in football, basketball, golf and major and minor league baseball rookie cards. http://store.yahoo.com/rookieworld
Ementech Offers baseball and hockey cards. http://www.ementech.com
Sports Cards Wholesale Offers a variety of sports and non-sport trading cards as well as collecting supplies. http://www.sportscardswholesale.com
Casebusters.com Sells baseball, hockey, racing and golf cards. http://www.casebusters.com
CardCeller.com Buys and sells graded and non-graded sports trading cards. http://www.cardceller.com
Queenscards.com Offers searchable database for baseball, basketball, football, hockey, golf, wrestling and entertainment trading cards. http://www.queenscards.com
Mint State Inc. Specializes in low population PSA MINT 9 and GEM MT 10 vintage football, basketball and baseball cards. http://www.mintstateinc.com/
P&T Sports Cards Boston area hobby store that sells sports cards and memorabilia. Also carries New England Patriots items. http://ptsportscards.homestead.com/home.html
Russian Ice Ltd. Russian hockey trading cards and jerseys. http://www.icenews.info
Sports Collectibles Inc. Includes baseball, football, basketball, hockey and racing. Also has autographs, balls, and bats. http://www.sportscardshark.com/
Top Notch Sports Cards Offers a large variety of sportscards for sale including baseball, football, hockey, and basketball. http://members.aol.com/dilbert707/jons/Main.htm
Diamond Gallery Sportscards Offers baseball and football cards categorized by player. http://www.gbwebdesign.com/diamondgallery.html
CardComplex.com Online community allowing members to buy and sell cards for a variety of sports. http://www.cardcomplex.com
High Impact Sports Cards Offers sports cards and collectibles including baseball, football, basketball, NASCAR, wrestling and HeroClix. http://www.hiscards.com
The Best in Baseball Cards Offers baseball, basketball, hockey, football and golf cards. http://www.beckett.com/estore/storefront/?DealerID=bestinbbcards
All Sports Collectibles Offers a variety of cards and memorabilia including NASCAR. http://allsportscollectible.safeshopper.com
JJ Sports Cards Provides card supplies including like top loaders, binders, soft sleeves and screw downs. http://www.jjsportscards.com
Sports Card Supplies Offering a variety of supplies for the card collector. http://www.sportscardsupplies.com
North American Sportscards Contains searchable databases of cards and memorabilia for sale. http://www.na-cards-eh.com
tlknet.com Specializes in basketball, baseball, football cards, sports collectibles and graded sportscards. Detailed cards descriptions and photos. http://www.tlknet.com
Strictly Mint Card Co. A selection of cards from all sports. http://www.smcci.com/
SA-GE Marketing, Inc. Autographs and trading cards. The hobby's first "Micro-printer". http://www.sa-ge.com
Dry Lakes Inc. Sports Cards Buys, sells, and trades all sports and autographed cards. Offering Starting Lineups (1989 to present). http://www.angelfire.com/ga/drylakescards
Showcase Cards Deals in singles, sets, graded cards (PSA, SGC, BGS) and lots. Always buying, selling and trading. Rookies, Stars, Serial numbered, inserts and autographs. http://www.angelfire.com/wv/colt
Sports Card Protectors, LLC Sells sports card protectors, binders, holders and other supplies. http://www.fratkin.net
Vintage Sports Cards Specializes in pre-1980 baseball and football cards, as well as some hockey and basketball cards. Commons and off-grade trading cards available for the collector at affordable prices. http://terri_weeks.tripod.com/vintagesports/
DCS Sports Cards Baseball, hockey, basketball, and football cards in boxes, packs, and singles. http://www.dcssportscards.com/
Zac's Football Card Shop Offers football cards, autos, game used, commons, plaques, inserts, and boxes. http://www.angelfire.com/sports/zacscardshop
Free Sports Cards.com Trading cards for all sports to buy, sell, and trade. http://www.freesportscard.com/
Baseball Card Depot Offers sports and non sport trading cards and supplies. Also features card release calendar. http://www.baseballcarddepot.com
BPCards Sportscards singles, sets and inserts from 1955 on. Also items such as Starting Lineup figures, publications and non-sport cards. http://www.higherlevel.com/cards
Scottsdale Baseball Cards Full line of trading cards and PSA graded cards. http://www.scottsdalecards.com/
Lucky Cards Offers an Excel spreadsheet of inventory checklists to manage a sports card collection. http://www.luckycards.biz
Pacific Trading Cards Manufacturers and sells baseball, hockey and football cards. http://www.pacifictradingcards.com/
Trading Card Source A large selection of sports and entertainment cards by the box or pack. http://www.tradingcardsource.com/
Prime Time Sportscards Trading card products from major manufacturers. Want lists and singles needs filled. http://www.usaplaza.com/PrimeTime
A&D Sports Cards Etc. Sports cards and collectibles for all sports. Boxes, singles and promotional items. http://www.adsportscardsetc.com/
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